Brewer man dies after 50-foot fall from tree

HOLDEN, Maine — A 50-year-old Brewer man died Friday afternoon after a 50-foot fall that occurred while he was cutting down a large pine tree, a Holden police official confirmed.

Michael Campbell, owner of Campbell’s Tree Service, died at the worksite despite efforts to resuscitate him, Sgt. Eugene Fizell said. Campbell died from blunt force trauma to his head and torso, he said.

The sergeant said that Campbell was cutting down an 80-foot pine at about 2 p.m. on Pinkham Road, a private dirt camp road that runs off Mann Hill Road.

Campbell had climbed about 50 feet and was in the process of cutting off the top 30 feet when a climbing line attached to him got tangled in the top section of the tree, taking him down with it when it fell to the ground, Fizell said.

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The accident was reported by his three employees, one of whom was his son, he said.

“It was just an absolute tragedy and kind of a strange fluke,” Fizell said, adding that Campbell had many years of experience and was wearing the necessary safety equipment when the accident happened.

Holden police were assisted by Holden emergency medical personnel, Capital Ambulance, the the Maine Forest Service and the state medical examiner’s office.

Fizell said efforts to contact representatives of the Occupational Health and Safety Administration were unsuccessful because of the federal government shutdown.